(Denver, Colo. – January 27, 2010) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Rocky Mountain Greener Venues Partnership (RMGVP) have teamed up to support EPA’s “Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice” video contest by producing a promotional video encouraging individuals to take action and reduce, reuse, and recycle “our stuff.” EPA and the RMGVP venues encourage interested participants to submit a creative video for the national contest by February 16.

The RMGVP, a voluntary environmental partnership among Colorado’s biggest entertainment and sports venues, helped create the upbeat promotional video focused on the importance of teamwork in achieving environmental goals. Well-known mascots, including Miles from the Denver Broncos, Dinger from the Colorado Rockies, and Rocky from the Denver Nuggets, inspire prospective video contest applicants by “assisting” with a creative and fun take on recycling. The energetic video, “The Assist”, creates community awareness about environmental stewardship, and highlights partnership successes, including the 1,500 tons of waste kept out of the landfill by venues partners last year. To view the video, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region8/greenervenues/.

“When it comes to reducing our environmental impacts, everyone has a role, including those who can help creatively inform and inspire action in our communities,” said Ron Lillich of EPA’s Solid and Hazardous Waste program in Denver. “This video supports EPA’s national contest by showing how EPA and the Greener Venues partners are achieving their waste reduction goals one plastic bottle at a time. We encourage everyone with a creative idea to submit an entry for this exciting contest.”

The goal of EPA’s “Our Planet, Our Stuff, Our Choice” video contest is to encourage individual awareness and action in reducing pollution and waste. The contest challenges anyone with video-making equipment to produce 30 to 60-second creative videos that highlight the “Three Rs:” reduce, reuse and recycle. Submissions for the contest will be accepted through February 16. Videos submitted should promote actions that individuals and organizations can take to minimize environmental impacts within their communities on the following topics:

Contest winners will be announced in April 2010 in time for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Awards will be given to the top three videos, as well as a special “Student Winner” category for submissions by persons 13 to 18 years old at the time of entry.
1st Place - $2,500
2nd Place - $1,5003rd Place - $1,0002 Student Winners (13 to 18 years old) - $500 each